Automatic pickup and enrobing apparatus for stick-type novelties

ABSTRACT

This disclosure relates to a pickup and enrobing apparatus which will pick up stick-type novelties from a transporting conveyor which carries the novelties in a horizontal position. The apparatus includes a pickup conveyor which has a plurality of pivotally mounted clamps which grip the novelty sticks so that the novelties can be removed from the transporting conveyor. The pickup conveyor carries the novelties through an enrobing process, and the enrobed novelties are then passed through a chiller where the coating is hardened. The novelties are released from the pickup conveyor as the conveyor emerges from the chiller unit and are concurrently subjected to an airstream so that they will fall to an output conveyor with their sticks oriented in the same direction.

States Patent [451 Mar. 11, tom

2,& 5,120 1/1953 2,705,857 2,859,714 11/1958 AUTUMATIC PICKUP ANDENROBING APPARATUS FOR STICK-TYPE NUWlElIlFllES Robert Taylor Glass, 415West 6th Street, Austin, Tex. 78701 Filed: June 16, 1970 Appl. No.:46,783

Inventor:

US. Cl ..425/93, 62/340, 118/20, 118/23, 118/30, 425/93, 425/104,425/114 Int. Cl ..A23g 5/00 Field of Search ..107/8, 8 A, 8 B, 54 E, 54EA, 107/70; 269/89, 157, 162, 254

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Eddy et a1 ..107/8 A 4/1955 Foxet a1 ....107/8 B X Cummings et al ..107/8 A X 2,884,875 5/1959Rasmusson ..107/8 A 2,903,979 9/1959 Behling 2,929,340 3/1960 Topfer..107/8 A Primary Examiner-James R. Boler AttorneyJones and Lockwood 57] ABSTRACT This disclosure relates to a pickup and enrobing apparatuswhich will pick up stick-type novelties from a transporting conveyorwhich carries the novelties in a horizontal position. The apparatusincludes a pickup conveyor which has a plurality of pivotally mountedclamps which grip the novelty sticks so that the novelties can beremoved from the transporting conveyor. The pickup conveyor carries thenovelties through an enrobing process, and the enrobed novelties arethen passed through a chiller where the coating is hardened. Thenovelties are released from the pickup conveyor as the conveyor emergesfrom the chiller unit and are concurrently subjected to an airstream sothat they will fall to an output conveyor with their sticks oriented inthe same direction.

17 Claims, 13 Drawing Figures Patented March 14, 1972 5 Sheets-Sheet 1Patented March 14, 1972 5 Sheets-Sheet f;

v lNlVE/VTOR ROBERT TAYLOR GLASS BYWM ATTORNEYS Patented March 14, 19725 Sheets-Sheet i m w s mm m m V M N n E M Y m ow a 0 F R mva 6V A L Q zw 3v\ u ATTORNEYS Patented March 14, 1972 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 I/Vl E'NTORROBERT TAYLUR GLASS GYM A7 on/ve-ys AUTOMATIC PICKUP AND ENROBINGAPPARATUS FOR STICK-TYPE NOVELTIES BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Thesubject invention relates to an apparatus for picking up frozen sticktype novelties, such as extruded ice cream bars, from a moving conveyorwhich carries the novelties in a horizontal position. The pick upapparatus also provides means for enrobing the novelties in a coatingfluid and transferring the enrobed novelties to an output conveyor forpackaging.

In the prior art, frozen confections or novelties such as ice cream barsand the like have normally been prepared by pouring a liquid into a moldof any particular shape and then passing the mold through a freezer unitso that the confection will be solidified while still in the mold. Afterthe confection or novelty has been solidified, it is necessary to removeit from the mold, and thus several methods and apparatuses have beendevised to accomplish this function. Two examples of such devices aredisclosed in my prior US. Pat. Nos. 2,894,652 and 2,91 1,212. One of themajor disadvantages of these presently known apparatuses for withdrawingthe frozen novelties from a mold is the necessity of providing somemeans to loosen the confection from the mold so that it can bewithdrawn. In the presently known devices, the mold carrying thesolidified confection is passed through some type of heating means sothat the confection is slightly defrosted, thereby permitting it to beeasily slipped from the mold. However, it was found that the confectionusually had to be refrozen be fore it was enrobed, thus requiring anadditional step. Other problems encountered when using the mold typeconfection makers include the fact that the molds were very expensiveand that they had to be cleaned after each use, both of which added tothe cost of manufacturing the confections.

Recently the art of extruding confections has been developed in order toeliminate the mold type confection making apparatuses; unfortunately,however, presently known withdrawing and enrobing devices cannot be usedin conjunction with these recently developed extruding apparatuses. Suchnewly developed extruding devices normally have a shaped nozzle fromwhich a semifrozen mixture can be extruded; thereafter a hot wire orblade can be passed through the extruded portion to cut off thesemifrozen mixture into shaped bars. Normally, just prior to severingthe bar from the extruded mixture, a stick is inserted into the portionof semifrozen mixture which is to be severed. An example of a stickinserting apparatus is disclosed in my copending U. S. Pat. applicationSer. No. 758,320, for a Stick Conveyor and Inserter for FrozenConfections, filed Sept. 9, 1968, now US. Pat. No. 3,554,138. After thestick is inserted and the confection has been severed from the extrudedmixture, the confection is disposed onto a carrying conveyor whichtransports the confection to a freezing unit. Generally, the confectionsare deposited on the transporting conveyor in a horizontal position.

With these new innovations in the confection making art, it can be seenthat there exists a need for a confection pick up and enrobing apparatuswhich can be used in conjunction with the recently developed extrudingapparatuses, since the presently known withdrawing and enrobing devicesare not designed to pick up novelties which are carried in a horizontalposition.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is, therefore, an object of this inventionto provide a pick up and enrobing apparatus which will pick up sticktype frozen confections while the confections are being transported on amoving conveyor.

Another object of this invention is to provide a pick up and enrobingapparatus which will pick up stick type novelties while they are carriedin a horizontal position.

Another object of this invention is to provide a pick up and enrobingapparatus which will remove frozen confections from a plate upon whichthey are extruded without the necessity of a defroster.

Another object of this invention is to provide a pick up and enrobingapparatus which will permit frozen confections to be automaticallydipped into a coating fluid.

Another object of this invention is to provide a cam operated clamp fora pick up and enrobing apparatus which will permit a frozen confectionto be picked up in a horizontal position and which can be pivoted to avertical position so the confection can be dipped into a coating fluid.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a pick up andenrobing apparatus in which the coated stick type confections aredispensed from the pick up and enrobing apparatus with their sticksoriented in the same direction.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a pick up andenrobing apparatus, in combination with a confection making device, inwhich the confections, such as ice cream bars, are extruded, providedwith sticks, and placed on a moving conveyor which carries them in ahorizontal position through a freezing unit wherein the confections arehardened; thereafter the pick up and enrobing apparatus removes theconfection from the moving conveyor while the confection is in ahorizontal position by grasping the sticks by means of cam operatedjaws, and carries the confection through a dipping process so that theconfection can be enrobed and through a chiller so that the coating canbe hardened. Upon emerging from the chiller, the confections arereleased onto an output conveyor for packaging.

These and other objects are accomplished by the present inventionthrough the use of a pick up and enrobing apparatus which will pick upstick type novelties from a moving conveyor which carries the noveltiesin a horizontal position. The apparatus includes a pick up conveyormeans which has a plurality of clamps disposed thereon that will gripthe novelty sticks while the novelties are disposed horizontally so thatthe novelties can be removed from the moving conveyor and transportedthrough an enrobing process. A guide member permits the pick up conveyorclamps to be pivoted to a vertical position so that the novelties can bedipped into a coating tank. The pick up conveyor carries the enrobednovelties through a chiller where the coating is hardened; upon emergingfrom the chiller the novelties are released from the pick up conveyorclamps and are simultaneously subjected to an air stream which causesthe novelties to be dispensed onto an output conveyor with their sticksoriented in the same direction.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The foregoing and additional objects,features and ad vantages of the invention will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art from the following detailed description of apreferred embodiment, taken with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a general plan view showing the arrangement of the noveltytransporting conveyor and the pick up and enrobing apparatus along withtheir associated freezing, chilling and dipping processes according tothe present invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded detailed perspective of a cam operated pivotalclamp which is carried on the pick up conveyor means according to thepresent invention;

FIG. 3 is a perspective of a modification to the clamp jaw according tothe present invention;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the pick up clamp carried on the pick upconveyor according to the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the pick up clamp in its closedposition as taken on line 5-5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a side view of the pick up clamp shown in the open position;

FIG. 7 is a detailed plan view of a pick up conveyor and enrobingapparatus disclosing the clamp opening and closing cams according to thepresent invention;

FIG. 8 is a plan view of a modification to the pick up clamp as shown inFIG. 3 according to the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a cross section view of the modified pick up clamp as taken online 99 of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a side elevation view of the pick up conveyor and enrobingapparatus showing the coating tank according to the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a side elevation of the pick up conveyor and enrobingapparatus disclosing the releasing cam and the output conveyor accordingto the present invention;

FIG. 12 is a cross section of the pick up conveyor and enrobingapparatus as taken on line 12-12 of FIG. 1 l; and

FIG. 13 is a fragmentary plan view of the pick up conveyor showing amodified embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring more particularly to thedrawings, in FIG. 1 the numeral 10 indicates a confection extruder andstick inserting apparatus similar to the one shown in my copendingapplication identified above. The extruder apparatus is positioned neara transporting or carrying conveyor 12 so that partially frozen icecream or other confection mixtures can be extruded from a suitable tube,nozzle or the like onto the transporting conveyor. The nozzle can beformed in any desired shape, and thus may be circular, square, orrectangular, may have diamond, heart, or animal-like shapes, etc. Theconfection mixture is extruded from the nozzle and is cut off by a hotwire or blade arrangement at the desired thickness of the finished bar.Normally, the extruding tube will be mounted in a vertical direction sothat when a confection is cut off of the extruded portion, it will dropdirectly onto the transporting conveyor 12. Prior to the bar being cutfrom the extruded confection mixture, a stick 13 is inserted into theportion of the confection mixture to be severed.

The transporting conveyor can traverse any desired path; however, thereshould be at least one elongated side, and in this preferred embodiment,the transporting conveyor is an endless chain traveling about two spacedsprockets, only one of which is shown, thereby forming a conveyor withtwo elon gated sides. The transporting conveyor carries a plurality offlat plates 14 past the extruder 10, where each plate normally receivestwo semifrozen extruded bars 16 which are positioned on the conveyorwith their sticks 13 disposed outwardly from the side of thetransporting conveyor. One end of the transporting conveyor 12 passesthrough a freezer unit 18 which can be of any particular type disclosedin the prior art. One such unit which is suitable is disclosed in myprior US. Pat. No. 2,887,855, this freezer providing a flow of sub-zeroair to solidify the confection mixture.

As the carrying conveyor 12 emerges from the freezer unit 18, the frozenconfections 16 are normally stuck to the conveyor plates 14. Theelongated side of the transporting conveyor 12 passes near a pick upconveyor and enrobing apparatus 19. The pick up conveyor 20 removes thebars from the transporting conveyor and carries them through a coatingprocess at the enrobing apparatus generally indicated at 22 so that theycan be coated with any desirable fluid such as chocolate, butterscotchor the like. After the coating process, the confections are carried bythe pick up conveyor 20 through a chilling tunnel 25 where the coatingis hardened. Upon emerging from the chilling tunnel, the novelties orconfections are released from the pick up conveyor and fall onto anoutput conveyor 26 which carries the novelties to a packaging apparatus(not shown). If the coating fluid is a quick hardening type or the pickup conveyor is of such length that the coating will harden without beingchilled, the chilling tunnel can be eliminated.

Turning now to a detailed consideration of the pick up conveyor 20, aplurality of sprockets, pulleys or the like 28, 29, 30 and 32 carried onvertical shafts 34, 36, 38 and 40, respectively, are positioned to forma conveyor path approximately rectangular in shape. A drive means 41drives one of the shafts, for example, shaft 40, and an endless chain 42is trained over the sprockets, thereby forming the conveyor. In

this preferred embodiment, the drive means 41 receives its power fromthe transporting conveyor 12 so that the pick up conveyor 20 issynchronized with the transporting conveyor; however, other means may beprovided to drive the pick up conveyor and to synchronize the movementof the two conveyors.'A plurality of pick up clamps 44 are secured tothe endless chain in any suitable manner and travel along the path ofthe chain. The clamps 44 are spaced so that on side 43 of the pick upconveyor, which is contiguous to the side 15 of the transportingconveyor, each clamp will coincide and be aligned with a particularstick of one of the novelties carried on the plates 14 of thetransporting conveyor. The clamps 44 are pivotally secured to theendless chain 42 and are normally carried in a horizontal position asthe chain moves in a counterclockwise direction (as viewed in FIG. 1)around the path of the conveyor. A guide bar 46, which can be a flatplate. rod, or the like, is located below the conveyor path and holdsthe clamp in the horizontal position. The guide 46 has suitably taperedends which permit a gradual change in the clamp position as the clamp ispivoted between a down, or vertical position at sprocket 29 to ahorizontal, or up, position where it remains until it passes aroundsprockets 28 and 32, at the later of which it returns to the downposition. Thus, the guide bar 46 begins on side 47 of the conveyor 20and extends around and past sprocket 32 of the conveyor 20 where thepick up conveyor 20 diverges from the transporting conveyor 12. Theclamps slide along the flat upper surface of the guide 46 so that theyare held in a horizontal position as the pick up conveyor 20 convergeswith the carrying conveyor 12 at sprocket 28. As each clamp 44 passesaround the sprocket 28, a stick in one of the novelties becomes alignedwith the clamp for later pick up.

In order to insert the novelty sticks into the clamps, the path of thetransporting conveyor 12 and the pick up conveyor 20 gradually convergealong the length of sides 15 and 43, respectively. In this particularembodiment, the sprocket 32 is larger in diameter than sprocket 28 (seeFIG. 1), thereby causing the paths or runs of the pick up conveyor 20and the carrying conveyor 12 to converge as the endless chain 42 isrotated towards the large sprocket 32. Any other suitable means may beused to cause the two conveyors to converge, such as positioning theshaft 40 closer to the conveyor 12 than shaft 36 while having sprockets28 and 32 of the same size. After the sticks in the novelties areinserted into the clamps, the clamps are actuated and the novelties aregripped by the clamps so that they may be removed from the transportingconveyor.

Considering the pick up clamp of the present invention in more detail,it can be seen in FIGS. 2, 4, 5 and 6 that a preferred embodiment of theclamp 44, which can be made of any suitable material such as steel,aluminum, plastic or the like, has a mounting plate 48 which is fixedlysecured to the endless chain 42 by a plurality of fasteners 50 such asrivets or the like. The rivets 50 extend through apertures 51 on theback portion 52 of the mounting plate 48 and through angular brackets 54(FIG. 5) which are, in turn, secured to a link of the endless chain 42in any suitable manner. The mounting plate 48 is carried so that theportion to which the angle brackets are secured is parallel to avertical plane passing through the endless chain 42. The mounting plate48 has projecting arms 56 and 57 formed integrally therewith and whichare perpendicular thereto, the arms forming a clevis into which aU-shaped frame 58 is inserted. The U-shaped frame, which is formed byside walls 60 and 61 and a bottom wall 62, is pivotally mounted betweenthe ears 56 and 57. In this preferred embodiment, the pivotal mountingconsists of fasteners 64 and 65 which pass through apertures 66 and 67in arms 56 and 57, respectively, and are threaded into respectivethreaded apertures 68 and 69 in the lower rear portion of the side walls60 and 61. The fasteners 64 and 65 have unthreaded upper portions whichcontact the unthreaded inner surfaces of apertures 66 and 67, therebypermitting the frame to pivot with respect to the mounting plate 48. Anyother suitable fastener means can be used which will permit the U-shapedframe 58 to pivot with respect to the mounting plate 46, as, forexample, suitable nut, bolt and spacer assembly.

The gripping action of clamp 44 is accomplished by a clamping jaw 70pivotally mounted in the U-shaped frame near the forward top edges ofthe side walls 60 and 61 by fasteners 72 and 73 which are similar tofasteners 64 and 65. Fasteners 72 and 73 extend through unthreadedapertures 74 and 75 in side walls 60 and 61 of the U-shaped frame, andthe threaded portions are screwed into threaded recesses 76 and 76 inthe ends ofjaw 70 (FIG. 4). Thejaw 70 is generally in the shape of arectangular bar which extends across the U- shaped frame, with thethreaded recesses 76 and 76 in the ends of the bar being located nearthe upper edge 77 (FIG. of the rectangular jaw so that when the jaw isactuated to the closed position the lower edge of the jaw will be spacedabove the bottom 62 of the U-shaped frame 58 a distance approximatelyequal to the thickness of a novelty stick. A cutout 78 (FIG. 2) isprovided in the jaw 70 to permit a spring 80 to be attached to a pin 82which is secured to the jaw in any suitable manner within the cutout andnear the upper edge 77 of the jaw 70. The pin 82 is nearer edge 77 thanthe pivotal axis of the jaw defined by the recesses 76 and 76', and theother end of spring 80 is attached to a rod 84 extending between walls60 and 61 located near the rear top edge of the U'shaped frame so as toprovide an overcenter operation for the jaw as it is opened and closed.A handle 86 is secured to the surface 79 of the rectangular jaw 70 atapproximately the center of the jaw and near the upper edge 77 to serveas a cam follower and to control the motion of the jaw. In order toprevent the spring 80 from rotating the jaw through the frame 58, a pairof stops 88 and 89 are located at the forward edge of the U-shaped frame58 near the bottom wall, the stops extending into the space between sidewalls 60 and 61 to abut against jaw 70 when it is rotated to the closedposition indicated in FIG. 5. The cutout 78 and the location of the pin82 with respect to the pivotal axis of the jaw 70 permit the axis of thespring to pass through the pivotal axis of the jaw as the jaw moves sothat the spring 80 is above the pivotal axis when the clamp is in theclosed position (see FIG. 5) and below the pivotal axis of the jaw whenthe clamp is in the open position (see FIG. 6). The positioning of theaxis of the spring above and below the pivoted axis of the jaw permitsthe spring to hold the clamp in the open or closed position after theclamp has been actuated in a particular direction.

Along side 43 of the pick up conveyor 20, an opening cam 90 (see FIGS. 6and 7) is mounted by a cantilever member 92 which extends over the pathtraversed by the clamps. In this preferred embodiment, the cam is a flatplate with an initial width at end 94 of such a dimension that thehandle, or cam follower, 86 of a clamp will pass in front of the cam 90when the clamp is in the closed position. The cam has a tapered surface96 which will contact the handle when the clamp is in the closedposition. As the clamp moves along the path of the conveyor, the taperedsurface of the cam pushes the handle 86 forward to pivot the jaw 70toward its open position. When the axis of the spring 80 passes throughthe pivotal axis of the jaw, the clamp is snapped to its fully openposition and held there. As the open clamp is moved along the path ofthe conveyor, (from left to right as viewed in FIG. 7), a novelty stickI3 is inserted into the clamp as the paths of the pick up conveyor andthe carrying conveyor converge. The handle 86 on clamp 44 then contactsa closing cam 100 which is mounted over the path of the clamps similarlyto the opening cam. The closing cam causes the handle 86 to moverearwardly, pivoting the jaw 70 so that the axis of the spring 80 willpass through the pivotal axis of the jaw 70 and the clamp will berotated to the closed position and grip the novelty stick 13, therebyholding the novelty so that it can be removed from the transportingconveyor 12. The over-centered arrangement of the spring 80 permits theclamp to be held closed until the handle 86 is pivoted forward again andthe axis of the spring 30 passes through the pivotal axis of thejaw 70as shown in FIG. 6.

The above preferred embodiment of the clamp can be modified as shown inFIG. 3, in which the numeral 102 indicates a solid clamp jaw with nocutout, thejaw having a handle 104 secured to the top surface. The jawis pivotally mounted in the U-shaped frame in the same manner as the jawof the preferred embodiment, aligned threaded recesses 106 and 106 inthe ends of the jaw 102 providing a pivotal axis for the jaw. A stud orpin 108 is secured to the side of the handle 104 and a spring 110, whichis shown in phantom in FIG. 2 and which is seen assembled in FIGS. 6 and9, is at tached between the stud and a cross bar 112 secured between theside walls 60 and 61 of the U-shaped frame. The location of the stud 108of this modified embodiment of the clamp causes a clockwise force, asviewed at the right of FIG. 3, to be exerted on the handle 104 so thatthe clamp will normally remain in the closed position; therefore, thisembodiment of the clamp eliminates the necessity of having a closingcam. The modified embodiment of the clamp will remain closed until thehandle 104 contacts the tapered surface 96 of the opening cam and ispivoted forward. so that the jaw will assume the position shown inphantom in FIG. 9. When the modified clamp has passed the opening cam90, the spring 110 will pull the handle rearwardly (to the right in FIG.9) so that the clamp will pivot and the jaw will be rotated forward andcontact the novelty stick 13.

Continuing with the description of the pick up conveyor, as thetransporting conveyor 13 emerges from the freezer unit 18, the noveltiesare carried horizontally on the plates 14 with the sticks 13 extendingtoward the edge of the conveyor so that they can be grasped by clamps44. Guide 46 preferably is located slightly above the surface of theplates 14 so that it will support the clamps 44 above the surface of theplates. Because of the thickness of the novelties, the sticks 13 arealso spaced above the surface of plates 14, and thus above the bottomportion 62 of the U-shaped frame 44; therefore, as the paths of theconveyors merge, the sticks will] be inserted into the clamps. IN thispreferred embodiment and in the normal situation, the thickness of thenovelties themselves is sufficient to insure that the sticks will beinserted into the clamps; however, if the novelty is too thin, othermeans can be used to insure that the stick is above the bottom portion62 of the U-shaped frame. For example, the plates 14 on the transportingconveyor can be tilted so that the sticks are disposed upwardly, therelative heights of the conveyors can be varied, etc. If desired, atapping mechanism 111 as shown in FIG. 1 located next to thetransporting conveyor after closing cam may be provided to strike theplates 14 of the transporting conveyor to release the novelties whichmay be adhering to the plates after the conveyor emerges from thefreezer unit 18.

The clamps 44 are carried in their horizontal positions by guide 46, andafter the clamp has been actuated to grip the novelty, a vertical risein the position of the guide 46 will cause the novelties 16 to be lifteda slight distance off of the carrying conveyor 12 since the noveltieshave previously been loosened from the plate 14 by the taper 111.

The pick up conveyor 20 continues along the path defined by the foursprockets and diverges from the carrying conveyor 12 when the chain 42passes around the sprocket 32. As the clamps move along the conveyorpath around sprocket 32, the guide bar 46 is terminated (see FIGS. 1 and10) so that the U- shaped frames 58 of the clamps 44 will pivot to avertical position about the axis defined by fasteners 64 and 65, whichsecure the U-shaped frame 58 to the mounting plate 48. A coating ordipping tank 114 filled with any desirable material such as chocolate,butterscotch or the like receives the novelties as the clamps 44 arepivoted and the novelties are moved to a vertical position. The pick upconveyor pulls the novelties through the clipping tank until the clamp44 engages a second guide 113 (FIG. 10) which causes the clamps to againresume the horizontal position for a relatively short distance so thatthe novelties will be lifted out of the coating tank 114. The guide bar113 is then terminated, and the clamps 44 are again pivoted to thevertical position so that any excess coating fluid or material can becaught in a drip pan 120 located below the path of the conveyor 20. Theguide 118 has tapered ends similar to the guide 46.

Pick up conveyor 20 continues as shown in FIG. 1 through the chillingtunnel 25 so that the coating applied to the novel ties in the coatingtank can be hardened. Each clamp remains in the vertical position as theconveyor passes through the chilling tunnel; as the conveyor emergesfrom the tunnel, the handle 86 of each conveyor clamp contacts areleasing cam 124 which forces the handle 86 downwardly so that theclamp jaw is rotated to the open position, thereby releasing the noveltyfrom the clamp and permitting it to fall downwardly towards outputconveyor 26 (see FIGS. 11 and 12). A back guide 126 is provided on thepick up conveyor when the clamps are rotated to the vertical position toprevent the clamps from swinging back and forth. As the novelty isreleased from the pick up conveyor, it is subjected to an air streamfrom an appropriately placed nozzle 128 so that the novelties will fallinto the output conveyor with their sticks oriented in the samedirection. The nozzle 128 may be located on either side of the path ofthe pick up conveyor, but in this preferred embodiment the nozzle 128 islocated in such a way that the air stream causes the novelties to berotated so that the sticks are oriented outwardly as shown in FIG. 12.The output conveyor then carries the similarly oriented novelties to apackaging apparatus.

A modified embodiment of the pick up conveyor 20 is illustrated in FIG.13. As described above, sprockets 28 and 32 which are carried onvertical shafts 36 and 40, respectively, are positioned to form one side43 of the pick up conveyor path. The side 43 of the pick up conveyor iscontiguous to the side 15 of the transporting conveyor so that eachclamp 44 will coincide and be aligned with a particular stick of one ofthe novelties carried on plates 14 of the transporting conveyor. Asprocket 140 carried on shaft 142 is located between sprockets 28 and 32at a point just prior to the beginning of closing cam 100. The size ofthe sprocket 140 or the position of the shaft 142 is such that the pathof the pick up conveyor converges with the path of the transportingconveyor 12 between sprockets 28 and 140, and the portion of the path ofthe pick up conveyor between sprockets 140 and 32 is parallel to thepath of transporting conveyor 12. In this modified embodiment, thesticks 13 in the novelties 16 are inserted into the open clamps 44 asthe paths of the two conveyors converge, and prior to the closing of theclamps 44, the paths of the conveyors will be parallel so that thenovelties are perpendicular to the clamps as they are closed.

It can be seen from the above description and the drawings that thispick up and enrobing apparatus provides a mechanism which will pick upfrozen stick type novelties which are transported on a moving conveyorwhile in a horizontal position. The pick up and enrobing apparatus alsoprovide a means for removing the frozen confections from thetransporting conveyor without the necessity of using a defroster andprovides means for automatically dipping the frozen confections into acoating fluid. The pick up and enrobing apparatus of the presentinvention provides a cam operated clamp which will grip a frozen noveltywhile in the horizontal position and will subsequently pivot to avertical position so the confection can be dipped into a coating fluid.The present invention also provides means to orient the novelties whichare dispensed from the pick up and enrobing apparatus so that theirsticks are disposed in the same direction.

The described embodiment can be modified in numerous ways, as will beapparent from the foregoing. For example, it is within the skill of theart to vary the material from which the device is made, to modify thecam arrangement for the opening and closing of the novelty holdingclamps, to eliminate the opening cam 90 in the preferred embodimentsince the releasing cam 124 opens the clamps when the novelties arereleased, or to provide a pulley and belt arrangement rather than thesprocket and chain as disclosed in the preferred embodiment. However,these and other variations and changes can be made in the invention asabove described and illustrated without departing from the true spiritand scope thereof as defined in the following claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A pick up and enrobing apparatus for receiving horizontally disposedstick mounted novelties and coating said novelties comprising:

a. first conveyor means for carrying said novelties in a horizontalposition;

b. second conveyor means contiguous to said first conveyor means, saidsecond conveyor means comprising four spaced sprockets carried oncorresponding support shafts and defining an approximately rectangulararea, one side of said rectangle being contiguous to said first conveyormeans, an endless chain encircling said sprockets and means for drivingsaid support shafts and their sprockets thereon;

c. means for converging the paths of said first and second conveyormeans;

d. pivotal clamp means secured to said endless chain of said secondconveyor means, said clamp means adapted to grip the stick of the stickmounted novelties and remove said novelties from said first conveyormeans;

e. first guide means adapted to position said pivotal clamp means to ahorizontal position so that the sticks of said horizontally disposednovelties are inserted into said clamp means as said first and secondconveyor means converge;

f. cam means for actuating said clamp means so that said clamp meanswill grip and release said novelties at preselected locations; and

g. enrobing means associated with said second conveyor means for coatingsaid novelties.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said means for converging the pathsof said first and second conveyor means includes an enlarged sprocketcarried on one of said support shafts on said side of said secondconveyor means contiguous to said first conveyor means so that theperipheral path defined by the chain of said second conveyor means willconverge with the path of the first conveyor means.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said means for converging the pathsof said first and second conveyor means includes:

a. a fifth sprocket carried on a support shaft located on the side ofsaid second conveyor means contiguous to said first conveyor means andpositioned in such a way that the peripheral path defined by the chainof said second conveyor means will converge with the path of the firstconveyor means, said fifth sprocket being further located prior to thecam means which actuates the clamp means to grip said novelties.

4. A pick up and enrobing apparatus for receiving horizontally disposedstick mounted novelties and coating said novelties comprising:

a. first conveyor means for carrying said novelties in a horizontalposition;

b. second conveyor means contiguous to said first conveyor means;

c. means for converging the paths of said first and second conveyormeans;

d. pivotal clamp means secured to said second conveyor means, said clampmeans adapted to grip the sticks of said stick mounted novelties andremove said novelties from said first conveyor means;

e. first guide means adapted to position said pivotal clamp means to ahorizontal position so that the sticks of the horizontally disposednovelties are inserted into said clamp means as said first and secondconveyor means converge;

f. enrobing means associated with said second conveyor means for coatingsaid novelties, said enrobing means including a coating tank, throughwhich said novelties are passed, said first guide means terminatingadjacent one end of said coating tank thereby permitting said clampmeans to pivot to a vertical position so that said novelties can becoated, and second guide means adjacent said coating tank for pivotingsaid clamp means to a horizontal position near the opposite end of saidcoating tank, said second guide means subsequently terminating andpermitting said clamp means to return to a vertical position;

g. chiller means associated with said second conveyor for hardening thecoating applied to said novelties;

h. means for receiving said novelties as said novelties are releasedfrom said clamping means; and

i. a fluid stream associated with said second conveyor means to orientsaid stick mounted novelties in one direction upon their release fromsaid clamp means.

5. A pick up and enrobing apparatus for receiving horizontally disposedstick mounted novelties and coating said novelties comprising:

a. first conveyor means for carrying said novelties in a horizontalposition;

b. second conveyor means contiguous to said first conveyor means;

c. means for converging the paths of said first and second conveyingmeans;

d. pivotal clamp means secured to said second conveying means, saidpivotal clamp means including;

1. a mounting plate secured to said second conveying means; 2. aU-shaped frame pivotally mounted adjacent its rear edge on said mountingplate;

. clamping jaw means pivotally mounted within and near the forward edgeof said U-shaped frame and being movable about an axis through saidpivotal mounting;

4. spring means secured to said jaw and mounted in said U-shaped framefor actuating said jaw; and

. stop means for preventing said spring means from rotating saidclamping jaw past said forward edge of said frame first guide meansadapted to position said pivotal clamp means to a horizontal position sothat the sticks on said horizontally disposed stick mounted noveltiesare inserted into said clamp means as said first and second conveyormeans converge;

f. cam means for actuating said clamp means so that said clamp meanswill grip and release said novelties at preselected locations; and

g. enrobing means associated with said second conveyor means for coatingsaid novelties.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein said clamping jaw means has acutout therein and a cam follower means secured to its top portion, saidspring means having an axis therein and being secured to said jaw abovethe pivotal axis of said jaw, said cutout in said clamping jawpermitting said axis of said spring means to be located above saidpivotal axis of said jaw when the clamp is in the closed position andbelow the pivotal axis of said clamp when the jaw is in the openposition.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein said clampingjaw has a camfollowing means secured to the top edge and said spring means is securedto said cam follower means above the pivotal axis of said jaw, so thatsaid clamp remains in the closed position.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said cam means includes:

a. an opening cam located on the side of said second conveyor meanswhich is contiguous to said first conveyor means, said opening cam beingadapted to engage said cam follower of the clamp means and pivot thefollower forward, causing the axis of said spring means to pass throughthe pivotal axis of said jaw to a position below the axis of said jaw,whereby the clamp remains in the open position;

b. a closing cam for engaging the cam follower of each clamp so that thecam follower is moved rearwardly, causing the axis of the spring to passthrough the pivotal axis of the jaw to a position above: the pivotalaxis of the jaw, whereby the clamp will remain in the closed position;

and

c. a releasing cam which opens the clamp means by engaging the camfollower of the clamp means so that the novelties carried by the clampmeans can be released from the pick up means.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein said cam means includes:

a. an opening cam adapted to engage the cam follower of the clamp meansand pivot the follower forward, causing the axis of said spring means topass through the pivotal axis of said jaw to a position below the axisof the jaw, whereby the clamp remains in the open position; and

b. a releasing cam which opens the clamp means by engaging the camfollower so that the novelty carried in the clamp means will be releasedfrom the pick up means.

10. A novelty making apparatus comprising:

a. means for transporting said novelties while disposed in a horizontalposition;

b. means for extruding said novelties onto said transporting means;

c. means for inserting sticks into said novelties as said novelties arebeing extruded onto said transporting means;

d. means for solidifying said novelties which are carried on saidtransporting means;

e. pick up and enrobing means for removing the novelties from saidtransporting means while said novelties are disposed in a horizontalposition, coating said novelties with a fluid, and releasing saidnovelties after they have been coated;

f. means associated with said pick up and enrobing means for hardeningthe coating applied to said novelties; and

g. means for orienting said novelties so that their sticks are disposedin the same direction as said novelties are released from said pick upand enrobing means.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said transporting means includesa plurality of smooth plates which receive the novelties from saidextruding means.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, further including a tapping mechanism forstriking said plates on said transporting means to release the noveltiesso they can be picked up by said pick up and enrobing means, saidnovelties adhering to said plates after emerging from said solidifyingmeans.

13. A pick up and enrobing apparatus adapted for use with stick mountednovelties presenting their sticks in a generally horizontally orientedattitude comprising:

a. an enrobing means for coating said novelties;

b. a pivotal clamp means for picking up said horizontally disposednovelties by their sticks, said clamp means comprising:

l. a mounting plate;

2. a U-shaped frame pivotally mounted adjacent its rear edge on saidmounting plate;

3. a clampingjaw pivotally mounted within and near the forward edge ofsaid U-shaped frame and being movable about an axis through said pivotalmounting;

4. spring means secured to said jaw and mounted in said U-shaped framefor selectively holding said jaw in an open and closed position; and

5. stop means for preventing said spring means from rotating said jawmeans past the forward edge of said frame;

c. means for carrying said pivotal clamp means and transporting saidpicked up novelties to and through said enrobing means for coating; and

d. means for releasing said novelties from said clamp means after saidnovelties have been coated.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein said carrying means includes:

a. a conveyor means having said clamp means secured thereto;

b. guide means adapted to position said pivotal clamp means in ahorizontal position when picking up said horizontally disposed noveltiesand permitting said clamp means to pivot to a vertical position forreleasing said novelties;

c. first cam means for closing said clamp means to grip saidhorizontally disposed novelties while said clamp means is in ahorizontal position; and

d. second cam means for opening said clamp means to release saidnovelties while said clamp means is in the vertical position.

15. A clamping device carried on a first moving conveyor for picking uphorizontally disposed stick mounted novelties from a second movingconveyor comprising:

a. a mounting plate secured to said first moving conveyor;

b. a U-shaped frame pivotally mounted adjacent its rear edge to saidmounting plate;

c. clamping jaw means pivotally mounted within and near ble about apivotal axis; d. spring means secured to said clamping jaw and mountedin said U-shaped frame for actuating said jaw; and e. stop means forpreventing said spring means from rotating said jaw past the forwardedge of said frame. 16. The clamping device of claim 15, wherein saidclamping jaw has a cutout therein and a cam follower means securedthereto, said spring means having an axis and being secured to said jawabove the pivotal axis of said jaw, said cutout in said clamping jawpermitting said axis of said spring means to be located above saidpivotal axis of said jaw when the clamp is in the closed position andbelow the pivotal axis of said clamp when the jaw is in the openposition.

17. The clamping device of claim 15, wherein said clamping jaw has a camfollowing means secured thereto, said spring means is secured to saidcam follower means above the pivotal axis of said jaw, so that saidclamp is biased in the closed position.

1. A pick up and enrobing apparatus for receiving horizontally disposedstick mounted novelties and coating said novelties comprising: a. firstconveyor means for carrying said novelties in a horizontal position; b.second conveyor means contiguous to said first conveyor means, saidsecond conveyor means comprising four spaced sprockets carried oncorresponding support shafts and defining an approximately rectangulararea, one side of said rectangle being contiguous to said first conveyormeans, an endless chain encircling said sprockets and means for drivingsaid support shafts and their sprockets thereon; c. means for convergingthe paths of said first and second conveyor means; d. pivotal clampmeans secured to said endless chain of said second conveyor means, saidclamp means adapted to grip the stick of the stick mounted novelties andremove said novelties from said first conveyor means; e. first guidemeans adapted to position said pivotal clamp means to a horizontalposition so that the sticks of said horizontally disposed novelties areinserted into said clamp means as said first and second conveyor meansconverge; f. cam means for actuating said clamp means so that said clampmeans will grip and release said novelties at preselected locations; andg. enrobing means associated with said second conveyor means for coatingsaid novelties.
 2. a U-shaped frame pivotally mounted adjacent its rearedge on said mounting plate;
 2. a U-shaped frame pivotally mountedadjacent its rear edge on said mounting plate;
 2. The apparatus of claim1, wherein said means for converging the paths of said first and secondconveyor means includes an enlarged sprocket carried on one of saidsupport shafts on said side of said second conveyor means contiguous tosaid first conveyor means so that the peripheral path defined by thechain of said second conveyor means will converge with the path of thefirst conveyor means.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said meansfor converging the paths of said first and second conveyor meansincludes: a. a fifth sprocket carried on a support shaft located on theside of said second conveyor means contiguous to said first conveyormeans and positioned in such a way that the peripheral path defined bythe chain of said second conveyor means will converge with the path ofthe first conveyor means, said fifth sprocket being further locatedprior to the cam means which actuates the clamp means to grip saidnovelties.
 3. clamping jaw means pivotally mounted within and near theforward edge of said U-shaped frame anD being movable about an axisthrough said pivotal mounting;
 3. a clamping jaw pivotally mountedwithin and near the forward edge of said U-shaped frame and beingmovable about an axis through said pivotal mounting;
 4. spring meanssecured to said jaw and mounted in said U-shaped frame for selectivelyholding said jaw in an open and closed position; and
 4. spring meanssecured to said jaw and mounted in said U-shaped frame for actuatingsaid jaw; and
 4. A pick up and enrobing apparatus for receivinghorizontally disposed stick mounted novelties and coating said noveltiescomprising: a. first conveyor means for carrying said novelties in ahorizontal position; b. second conveyor means contiguous to said firstconveyor means; c. means for converging the paths of said first andsecond conveyor means; d. pivotal clamp means secured to said secondconveyor means, said clamp means adapted to grip the sticks of saidstick mounted novelties and remove said novelties from said firstconveyor means; e. first guide means adapted to position said pivotalclamp means to a horizontal position so that the sticks of thehorizontally disposed novelties are inserted into said clamp means assaid first and second conveyor means converge; f. enrobing meansassociated with said second conveyor means for coating said novelties,said enrobing means including a coating tank, through which saidnovelties are passed, said first guide means terminating adjacent oneend of said coating tank thereby permitting said clamp means to pivot toa vertical position so that said novelties can be coated, and secondguide means adjacent said coating tank for pivoting said clamp means toa horizontal position near the opposite end of said coating tank, saidsecond guide means subsequently terminating and permitting said clampmeans to return to a vertical position; g. chiller means associated withsaid second conveyor for hardening the coating applied to saidnovelties; h. means for receiving said novelties as said novelties arereleased from said clamping means; and i. a fluid stream associated withsaid second conveyor means to orient said stick mounted novelties in onedirection upon their release from said clamp means.
 5. stop means forpreventing said spring means from rotating said clamping jaw past saidforward edge of said frame e. first guide means adapted to position saidpivotal clamp means to a horizontal position so that the sticks on saidhorizontally disposed stick mounted novelties are inserted into saidclamp means as said first and second conveyor means converge; f. cammeans for actuating said clamp means so that said clamp means will gripand release said novelties at preselected locations; and g. enrobingmeans associated with said second conveyor means for coating saidnovelties.
 5. stop means for preventing said spring means from rotatingsaid jaw means past the forward edge of said frame; c. means forcarrying said pivotal clamp means and transporting said picked upnovelties to and through said enrobing means for coating; and d. meansfor releasing said novelties from said clamp means after said noveltieshave been coated.
 5. A pick up and enrobing apparatus for receivinghorizontally disposed stick mounted novelties and coating said noveltiescomprising: a. first conveyor means for carrying said novelties in ahorizontal position; b. second conveyor means contiguous to said firstconveyor means; c. means for converging the paths of said first andsecond conveying means; d. pivotal clamp means secured to said secondconveying means, said pivotal clamp means including;
 6. The apparatus ofclaim 5, wherein said clamping jaw means has a cutout therein and a camfollower means secured to its top portion, said spring means having anaxis therein and being secured to said jaw above the pivotal axis ofsaid jaw, said cutout in said clamping jaw permitting said axis of saidspring means to be located above said pivotal axis of said jaw when theclamp is in the closed position and below the pivotal axis of said clampwhen the jaw is in the open position.
 7. The apparatus of claim 5,wherein said clamping jaw has a cam following means secured to the topedge and said spring means is secured to said cam follower means abovethe pivotal axis of said jaw, so that said clamp remains in the closedposition.
 8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said cam means includes:a. an opening cam located on the side of said second conveyor meanswhich is contiguous to said first conveyor means, said opening cam beingadapted to engage said cam follower of the clamp means and pivot thefollower forward, causing the axis of said spring means to pass throughthe pivotal axis of said jaw to a position below the axis of said jaw,whereby the clamp remains in the open position; b. a closing cam forengaging the cam follower of each clamp so that the cam follower ismoved rearwardly, causing the axis of the spring to pass through thepivotal axis of the jaw to a position above the pivotal axis of the jaw,whereby the clamp will remain in the closed position; and c. a releasingcam which opens the clamp means by engaging the cam follower of theclamp means so that the novelties carried by the clamp means can bereleased from the pick up means.
 9. The apparatus of claim 7, whereinsaid cam means includes: a. an opening cam adapted to engage the camfollower of the clamp means and pivot the follower forward, causing theaxis of said spring means to pass through the pivotal axis of said jawto a position below the axis of the jaw, whereby the clamp remains inthe open position; and b. a releasing cam which opens the clamp means byengaging the cam follower so that the novelty carried in the clamp meanswill be released from the pick up means.
 10. A novelty making apparatuscomprising: a. means for transporting said novelties while disposed in ahorizontal position; b. means for extruding said novelties onto saidtransporting means; c. means for inserting sticks into said novelties assaid novelties are being extruded onto said transporting means; d. meansfor solidifying said novelties which are carried on said transportingmeans; e. pick up and enrobing means for removing the novelties fromsaid transporting means while said novelties are disposed in ahorizontal position, coating said novelties with a fluid, and releasingsaid novelties after they have been coated; f. means associated withsaid pick up and enrobing means for hardening the coating applied tosaid novelties; and g. means for orienting said novelties so that theirsticks are disposed in the same direction as said novelties are releasedfrom said pick up and enrobing means.
 11. The apparatus of claim 10,wherein said transporting means includes a plurality of Smooth plateswhich receive the novelties from said extruding means.
 12. The apparatusof claim 11, further including a tapping mechanism for striking saidplates on said transporting means to release the novelties so they canbe picked up by said pick up and enrobing means, said novelties adheringto said plates after emerging from said solidifying means.
 13. A pick upand enrobing apparatus adapted for use with stick mounted noveltiespresenting their sticks in a generally horizontally oriented attitudecomprising: a. an enrobing means for coating said novelties; b. apivotal clamp means for picking up said horizontally disposed noveltiesby their sticks, said clamp means comprising:
 14. The apparatus of claim13, wherein said carrying means includes: a. a conveyor means havingsaid clamp means secured thereto; b. guide means adapted to positionsaid pivotal clamp means in a horizontal position when picking up saidhorizontally disposed novelties and permitting said clamp means to pivotto a vertical position for releasing said novelties; c. first cam meansfor closing said clamp means to grip said horizontally disposednovelties while said clamp means is in a horizontal position; and d.second cam means for opening said clamp means to release said noveltieswhile said clamp means is in the vertical position.
 15. A clampingdevice carried on a first moving conveyor for picking up horizontallydisposed stick mounted novelties from a second moving conveyorcomprising: a. a mounting plate secured to said first moving conveyor;b. a U-shaped frame pivotally mounted adjacent its rear edge to saidmounting plate; c. clamping jaw means pivotally mounted within and nearthe forward edge of said U-shaped frame and being movable about apivotal axis; d. spring means secured to said clamping jaw and mountedin said U-shaped frame for actuating said jaw; and e. stop means forpreventing said spring means from rotating said jaw past the forwardedge of said frame.
 16. The clamping device of claim 15, wherein saidclamping jaw has a cutout therein and a cam follower means securedthereto, said spring means having an axis and being secured to said jawabove the pivotal axis of said jaw, said cutout in said clamping jawpermitting said axis of said spring means to be located above saidpivotal axis of said jaw when the clamp is in the closed position andbelow the pivotal axis of said clamp when the jaw is in the openposition.
 17. The clamping device of claim 15, wherein said clamping jawhas a cam following means secured thereto, said spring means is securedto said cam follower means above the pivotal axis of said jaw, so thatsaid clamp is biased in the closed position.